Category: CompMed Insights

Experience and Perspective in Workers’ Compensation For the record, I have been providing cost-containment services to the workers compensation ecosystem for more than 30 years. At times, I must admit that my serum cynicism level is off the charts. But then again, I get to see those cases that have become problematic and that most of the files being straightforward people seeking straightforward answers to the compensable injuries sustained. The…

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Understanding the Misuse of the Term “Concussion” What a great question, if I do say so myself. In my more than three decades of providing cost-containment services from a clinical perspective to those Worker’s Compensation professionals, one frustration is that each time somebody takes a slight (or minor) impact to the head, this is described as a “concussion.” In our Worker’s Compensation ecosystem concussion has become synonymous with any head…

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Show Me the Money: The Core Truth of Workers’ Compensation In the world of Worker’s Compensation, there is one absolute truth; and to quote from Jerry Maguire, “show me the money.” Those who have been reading my blog understand that it is my position that all appropriate care should be delivered to the injured employee. You as the claim file handler need to be an advocate for the injured employee. However,…

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The Growing Concern: PTSD in Worker’s Compensation Claims A diagnosis that is occurring with increasing frequency is post-traumatic stress disorder, a.k.a. PTSD. This specific diagnosis is a mental health malady that has very specific criterion before it should be applied in every scenario. The media has outlined a modification to the standards, and several state jurisdictions have expanded the definition with particular attention to “first responders” and this becomes a…

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As seasoned Worker’s Compensation professionals, and even for those of you who have just joined our little party, you are all aware of the crucial role you play in effectively managing claims, ensuring fairness to all parties concerned, and each of the identified stakeholders. It has been my experience, as someone who has run a cost containment concern for the Worker’s Compensation ecosystem for more than three decades, those who…

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Dealing with Unscrupulous Medical Providers in Workers’ Comp Show Me the Money: The Core Truth of Workers’ Compensation In the world of Worker’s Compensation, there is one absolute truth; and to quote from Jerry Maguire, “show me the money.” Those who have been reading my blog understand that it is my position that all appropriate care should be delivered to the injured employee. You as the claim file handler need…

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Rediscovering Medical Knowledge: Lessons for Workers’ Compensation Professionals I was doing some housecleaning the other day and decided to clean out my personal library. At the bottom shelf was my collection of medical texts dating back to my Physician Assistant training. One text that caught my eye was Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, 12th edition. I can remember that paying $33 for that textbook seemed wildly expensive. For fun, I…

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Understanding T2 and STIR MRI Findings In my training as a Physician's Assistant, and while working in orthopedic surgery, there are aspects of our education, training and experience that become second nature. However, at times, we tend to overlook the importance of what is perceived as routine everyday use, and the value of these data points is lost on the general population. One of these items is the component of…

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When I first entered the world of case management and cost containment dealing with workers compensation cases, a frequent request was for injured individuals with low back pain complaints to have a treadmill placed into their homes, precipitating weight loss and improvement with respect to the low back pain complaints. The running joke became what was the world's most expensive clothes hanger, and the answer is that treadmill. The Rise…

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The Evolution of Medications: When Side Effects Lead to New Discoveries In medicine, things are always changing. Constant experimentation, research, and modifications to the original intent are always being investigated. A prime example of an altered pathway would be the development of a new antihypertensive medication. During clinical trials, there was an unintended side effect in terms of blood flow to the corpus cavernosum. With the identification of this side…

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